Pilot killed when plane crashes into Covington home
By KOMO Staff & News Services
COVINGTON, Wash. -- One person died when a single-engine plane crashed into a nearby home on Friday afternoon.
Fire officials said the plane spun out while trying to take off from Crest Airpark and crashed into a home about a quarter mile east of the north end of the runway in the 30400 block of 180 Avenue SE around 5 p.m. The pilot, the only person on board was trying to turn back to Crest Airpark after experiencing engine problems, said Adam Tomlinson, a clerk at the private airstrip. "I saw him taking off, and then I saw his engine quit. I saw him start to bank, and then I lost sight of him," Tomlinson said. "I went outside and we saw a pillar of smoke coming up through the trees." The plane landed crashed into the roof of the home and demolished one wall before coming to a stop in the front yard, officials said. The plane's engine was engulfed in flames, but firefighters doused the flames before they spread to the house. Officials said the pilot, who was the only person on board, was killed in the crash. The pilot owned a house at the airfield and was flying a Thorp T-18, a kit plane, Tomlinson said. His name has not been released. Nearby resident George Collura said he had never heard such a loud explosion before, even though he's an Army veteran who served in Korea. "I don't know what happened to the poor guy," he said. "I feel real bad, real sorry for him and his family." Eighty one-year-old Rosemary Devino was watching TV inside the home at the time of the crash, which left her in severe shock. "She felt the vibration first...and then she heard the explosion," said her daughter, Vickie Devino. "As you can imagine she's shaken up by this, but fortunately she's not hurt," said Kyle Ohashi with the Kent Fire Department. The pilot was licensed and friends said he was a retired Boeing test pilot. FAA investigators are looking into the cause of the crash. Crest Airpark is a private air field located in a residential area of Covington.
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